ELT365 · Day 186 — Pairwork and groupwork in speaking

Idea — Pairwork and groupwork multiply speaking time. In a class of 20, teacher-led speaking means each learner speaks for under two minutes per hour. In pairs, every learner speaks simultaneously. STT rises; TTT falls.

Example — Ten minutes of teacher-fronted Q&A: each learner speaks for about 30 seconds. Ten minutes of pairwork discussion: each learner speaks for about 4 minutes.

Try — Time your TTT (teacher talking time) in one lesson this week. Note it. Next lesson, replace 5 minutes of teacher explanation with a peer-discussion task. Compare the two.

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